It is so important to teach our kids to embrace the vision that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tried to share.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is much more than just a day off of school, it is a day to really teach your kids some valuable lessons in what justice is and how to treat one another.
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
The people that joined in with King’s vision in his day were different than most of the people today.
Today most people are only concerned with how a situation will affect them TODAY. They are not thinking about next year, let alone the next generation. We are an instant gratification generation, therefore the idea that the things we are doing (or not doing for that matter) will directly impact those we will one day pass the torch to is for the most part ignored.
I am not even certain ignored is the right word to use, since you would have to acknowledge sometime in the first place in order to ignore it. But I think you get the point.
The strong men and women, black and white who stood up to the injustices of slavery and racism of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s day were doing so at the risk of their own lives because they were fighting with the future of the generations to follow in mind.
They understood that what was at stake was greater than their temporary circumstances, which were pretty horrific!
They sacrificed there own TODAY’s for the sake of their children’s (and their children’s) tomorrows.
Imagine what the world could be like if everyone lived this way instead of in their own self-centered states only concerned about the immediate lives of those closest to them.
I believe that this country has come a long way, but we still have a long way to go before the vision that King tried to impart truly comes to fruition.
Here are a few ideas to remind your kids of the vision that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared.
You can find out all about The Day of Service which is a great tribute to Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy.
You can here the infamous I Have A Dream speech in its entirety.
You can find all kinds of activities for your children Here, Here, and Here.